AstraZeneca launches new Malaysia HQ, plans to hire 600 by 2023

AstraZeneca has opened a new headquarters in Malaysia as part of its ongoing commitment to boost high-value skills and employment, and in bringing new science and innovation to help patients.

According to a press release on this move, Marc Dunoyer, Chief Financial Officer, AstraZeneca said: "We are pleased to expand our presence in Malaysia with this investment, particularly the setting up of this strategic delivery hub for finance and business services within the Greater Kuala Lumpur area.

"This location has many advantages, including a sophisticated business ecosystem and business-friendly policies, well-developed infrastructure and a robust multilingual talent pool with medical, HR and IT engineering qualifications. We expect to employ 600 people by 2023, almost all of whom will be Malaysian."

The inauguration of the headquarters yesterday (12 March) involved the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between AstraZeneca and InvestKL, in efforts to collaborate on talent development, innovation and partnerships between 2019 and 2023.

Datuk Zainal Amanshah, Chief Executive Officer, InvestKL, said: "We are pleased that after almost four decades, AstraZeneca continues to place confidence in Malaysia as a hub. Greater Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia offer a strong proposition for global multinationals to create better value and move up the value chain."

He added that the team will also work with various universities in building the local talent pool to support AstraZeneca's business in the region.

The new 50,000 sq ft (five floors high) headquarters is part of AstraZeneca's plan to invest more than RM500 million in Malaysia over the next five years.

It also includes a new Global Business Services Hub equipped with cutting-edge robotic technology and automation to support financial, accounting and business services for AstraZeneca operations in the Asia Pacific region.

The hub will house the Robotic and Cognitive Centre, which will deliver ‘digital disruption’ in day-to-day operations, increase efficiency and improve productivity that will be scaled across global operations using robotic process automation, mimicking human actions by performing repetitive rules-based tasks across multiple applications.

Photo / (L-R) Dr Ong Kian Ming, Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Malaysia; Marc Dunoyer, Global Chief Financial Officer, AstraZeneca; Jo Feng, Senior Vice President, Asia Area, AstraZeneca.